- As far as I know, you like watching movies. Is that possible that movies or any other type of visual art were grounds for GG series?
- I don't think that it looks like the game has many movie-styled parts. But I always wanted the game appearance to be linked to a movie (Laughs). When I just finished Guilty Gear, I watched a hongkong movie named "Storm Riders", and all my friends were saying "You watched that movie before the end of you work". Being full of action, this movie is really stunning, top-quality piece of art. I recommend you watching it.
- Characters in GG are very specifically fashioned. How did you came up by this concept?
- Fashion, you say?.. I think I am a weak designer, whatever they say (Laughs). As for very firsh GG edition, I think it was really affected by a "Bastard" manga I read while I was a student.
- Ishikawa-san, are you personally interested in fashion?
- No, I am not interested in clothes itself (Laughs). But sometimes I buy some magazines to see a particular person, but not because of his\her clothes. I prefer watching people, who (in turn) wear something.
- And what about some perfect men's image? Any ideal you would like to be like?
- I think I want to be a chivalrous person like characters from Simamoto Kadzuhiko's manga. That's the type of person I thought about very much. The kind of people who say that they don't want to be a human. I really like that Simamoto Kadzuhiko's characters make you think "Aren't the man should be like that" even with this words. That's what I'd like to be myself.
- And by the way, are there any such characters in GGX world?
- Well, Anji is the most closest to this type. But that doesn't really affects his battlestyle.
- Let's move on from men to women. Do you have some image of ideal woman?
- Ummm... For me a girl I could meet in reality and think "Oh, I'm in love" and an "image of ideal woman" are completely different. When you think of it, there is a number of "ideal images". A woman in glasses, for example (Laughs), or a woman with boy's hairs, or a Yamata Nadesico-like woman, and I can continue on. There is no specific image, I love them all. And I always wanted to meet with some young foreign woman (laughs), but I haven't yet. And I'd like to meet, even as a friend, with a woman that will look good in jeans.
- And are there female characters in GGX that are like this?
- Frankly speaking - no. As I said, I like girls in glasses, tomboys, and so on. It is hard to put a foreign girl in jeans into the game (laughs). And when think about character as a designer, or as a gamer, you want get anything that looks like a real woman anyway.
- Does it happens to you when you suddenly come up with some idea?
- No. Talking about spontanious flashes of inspiration, they happen to me sometimes, but usually it is like slowly straining a soup. When creating another design I work rambling like that: "May be this? Or may be that? A piece of this? Should I insert this here?", this is my style named "something will come up anyway". It is really rare when something flashes and I suddenly come up with a ready design.
- This is true not only for you art, but for your music as well?
- You are correct. This is very true for everything I create. For example, when I invent some background for a character, of design some movie (??), I get the feeling that I only have to work a little longer and everything will be ok. If you develop your ideas, you will come up with a result in the end; there is no point in sitting and waiting for an inspiration.
- I'd like to talk about you music now. GGX OST is really full of drive and there are many cool songs!
- Thanks! (Laughs).
- Which music do you prefer?
- Mostly everything. I'm listening to new albums of course, but mainly I am a music lover that listenes to everything. This includes: The Beatles, Slayer, death metal. I listen to some japanese music as well. I really like Shiina Ringo.
- Does the music that you listen at work differs from the music you usually listen?
- But my work is the place where I usually listen (laughs), it is where all my CDs are. So the answer to your question is: "No, it doesn't".
- What was the first music album in your life?
- I don't remember. But I started liking music because of Queen, and I think they will be my favorites for all my life. I used some of their names in the game - Queen's vocalist Freddie Mercury had a nickname "Mister Badguy", and Sol's real name is Freddie.
- Composing music and designing are completely different types of art. How come that for you they have the same source?
- As for designing it is as I've said yearlier - it is like walking upstairs. I think that this "straining" method applies to music composing as well. But even relying on this (laughs), I am really ashamed that I make so imperfect things. That's when you think - shouldn't you had change you mind about the thing "you really wanted to do". This kind of feeling I get after designing some music with a lot of drive, for example.
- Do you have any favorite theme in GGX?
- It happens that when I image a music theme in my head, I think "I will like this one". But when I listen to finished track I often change my mind. The is especially true for Naomi systems, they sound very different from live sound on a Dreamcast. All in all, here is the list: Still In The Dark, Anji's theme ("Fuuga\Grace\Elegance"), No Mercy. Personally for me I think Sol's theme ("Keep Yourself Alive") has the most effective sound.
- Let's move to philosophical questions? Ishiwatari-san, what do you believe in?
- I don't like to sound egoistic, but I believe in myself. I have nothing to believe in but what's inside of my head. For example, I can believe in a man, I mean I can trust him, but actually I believe to an image of a man in my head, nothing more. From this point of view, I can believe or doubt only about something in my head.
- And what is the most important thing to you?
- The most important thing... Music CDs! (Laughs)
- Music CDs in general?
- Yes, they have a priority. Especially Queen, which shocked me once and continue to impress now, and Shiina Ringo, which I think will affect me on and on. In case of a fire this will be the first things I'll grab.
- And the last question. Should you had three wishes, what would you do?
- I'd say - "make me a musician" (laughs). Or at least make a a talented guitar player. And make me smart (laughs).
I am very slow when it comes to making decisions in a time trouble. I'd like my thoughts to be much faster. And the last one... I want more musicians in my team (laughs).